New Shipping Container Hostel Built in Vietnam

This interesting cargotecture creation was recently completed by the company TAK Architects. It is a hostel located in the Vietnamese ocean resort town of Nha Trang and is comprised of a stack of three recycled shipping containers, which where painted in bright colors and contain family-sized and multi bed dormitory style rooms.

The so-called Ccasa Hostel is located only a short walk from the beach, and they pride themselves on being a modern and family-friendly facility. The main focus of this new architectural design was the creation of a large communal space formed by the shipping containers, namely the shared kitchen and roof terrace. There are also pergolas and outdoor walkways, which are shaded by living foliage and serve the dual function of providing access to the different areas of the hostel as well as offering natural cooling and ventilation.

Apart from using recycled shipping containers to build the rooms, they also used recycled encaustic cement tiles, old wood windows, and flat winnowing baskets during the construction process. This is a very sustainable way to build, but also serves to reference traditional Vietnamese architecture and agriculture, effectively blending the old with the new.

From the photos, it doesn’t appear that the rooms have ACs, which given the tropical location of this hostel might make sleeping here quite unpleasant. The only modification done to the shipping containers was the cutting of an opening for a door and a small window on the longer sides. The exterior was left in pretty much the original condition, apart from being painted in vivid colors. The interior appears modern indeed, and looks nothing like the inside of a cargo container.

Provided the architects made sure the containers are well insulated against the heat, and properly cooled, then this is a great example of shipping container architecture.